Tough sell

Sandwich needs new public safety complex, but questions remain

If anyone doubts that Sandwich needs a new public safety complex, visit the fire department substation on Route 130 in Forestdale. One room contains the kitchen, dining room and bedroom — for both men and women.

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Posted Feb. 2, 2013 at 2:05 AM

Posted Feb. 2, 2013 at 2:05 AM

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If anyone doubts that Sandwich needs a new public safety complex, visit the fire department substation on Route 130 in Forestdale. One room contains the kitchen, dining room and bedroom — for both men and women.

"It's unacceptable," said Fire Chief George Russell. And he is right. The main station in the village and the East Sandwich substation on Route 6A are not much better.

Over at the police station on Route 6A, the sergeants share an office in a closet.

Which is why the town must build a new public safety complex at Quaker Meetinghouse and Cotuit roads and a substation.

The problem is how to convince the voters to support a 72,000-square-foot complex and substation that costs $30 million. Last week, selectmen voted 4-1 to bring the proposal forward at the annual town meeting in May. The $30 million project would include the $27 million public safety complex and a $3 million fire substation at Sandwich High School.

At recent meetings, residents have questioned the size and cost of the project, as well as the impact on emergency response times in the town's historic village.

As for the size, opponents point out that the 72,000 square feet is four times the size of the current public safety buildings. But the 72,000 square feet includes the main public safety complex, two metal garage outbuildings and the substation. The current design also includes space for the town's information technology department, emergency management, and archiving space in the basement for all town departments.

Of the 56,000 square feet in the main headquarters building, 10,971 square feet is dedicated to the police. The current police department occupies about 8,300 square feet. That's not an unreasonable increase, considering how cramped the police are now.

The most legitimate questions about the proposal relate to response times and the location of the substation. Town officials argue that 98 percent of the town can be reached by fire department vehicles within 10 minutes of a call, but 10 minutes is not exactly ideal.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends that the first fire department vehicle should arrive on scene within four minutes and the entire team within eight minutes.

At the same time, less than five percent of the calls received by the Sandwich Fire Department each year over the past 10 years were for fires. Most are for EMT calls. And because police officers are assigned to specific patrol areas throughout the day, police response time to medical, fire and police calls is much shorter. For instance, the police have responded to about half the medical calls in less than two minutes in recent years. Cruisers contain automated external defibrillators, and police officers are trained in CPR and first aid.

As for the substation, we are not sure the high school, only about two miles from the main public safety complex, is the best place to build it. Why not build one in the village to improve response times to the historic village and Town Neck? Why not refurbish the East Sandwich substation or sign an agreement with the West Barnstable Fire Department to cover parts of East Sandwich?

"My fear is some people will vote no because they wanted a substation in the village, not because they do not think we need a new station," Chief Russell said.

So while we support the need for a new public safety complex at Quaker Meetinghouse and Cotuit roads, we urge the town to consider alternative sites for the substation.